


Stray Endings

by Maxil_Gal



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Alternate Universe, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-19 20:14:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5979721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maxil_Gal/pseuds/Maxil_Gal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rythian goes to the End, and believes he's only been gone a few weeks. He hasn't</p><p>((ALSO, towards the end I do some kind of control-corporation, i don't know where I was going with it but I enjoyed it.))</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stray Endings

Rythian stopped, the day bright on his face as he stepped out of the portal. Yes, he was covered in blood. Yes, he had a bag full of dragon scales and teeth. Yes, he might have been gone for a few weeks. But, he was home now. Well, home was a stretch. He was in the world again, and for once, grass had never looked so beautiful. Down and down the mountain path wove. Through Owl Forest, and pass Industrial Town. On and on, until he saw a light before him. Baby Jim. His...their volcano. Excited, strangely enough, Rythian rushed forward. He knew volcanoes couldn’t think, but, hell, pretending was a good escape from the long battle he had just fought.

“Baby Jim! Look, I’m back!” He approached the lava carefully, but something caught his eye. Jim was larger. Much larger. The old mound he had once been had grown into a hill. “A...growth spurt? Well, Zoey will be glad to hear that...I guess? Sheesh, Nilesy. You could keep the place clean at least.” His hand had brushed over the dusty chair. He sat down, feet aching from the walk, but his seat fell apart to splinters beneath him. “OWW! Gah...Come on Nilesy...I’m not getting him a new chair…” Saying his goodbyes, Rythian walked onwards towards Med...Caber Town. On and on and on, until finally he reached the familiar town. It was...empty...surprisingly empty. Only a few people shuffled along the streets. It was mid-day. The town was supposed to be bustling. What had happened? Slowly, he approached an old woman, hunched over and sweeping dust from her doorstep. “Hello? Ma’am? Can you tell me what’s going on? Why is everything...”

“Don’t know what you mean. Been like this for years. E’er since I was a little girl. Now leave me to my work…Stranger stranger e’ery day...strangers coming in, eh?” She bent down and patted a cat that had scuttled towards her on the head. “Strangers from a stranger time.” Rythian backed away, freaked out by the hag who had snapped at him. He was becoming weirded out by the lack of population, by the old buildings falling apart, and why he couldn’t recognize anyone. He had only been gone a couple of weeks...right?

He ran, as quickly as his legs could carry him, to the sandstone wall he knew so well. It was battered, and stones covered the ground. An extra dingy looking patch had been freshly repaired...someone was here...something had gotten into their camp. It must have been a horde...some monsters...He crouched and snuck to the gate. It was left ajar, slowly swinging in the desert wind. Something caught in his voice. He didn’t want to shout out a name in case of intruders but...oh god Zoey.

Rythian opened the door and looked in the compound. It certainly had been raided. What else could cause this much destruction? Towers were toppled, the old magician corner had caved in...the only thing left was a small house on one side of the compound. But...he didn’t remember having a house? Walls and a roof were hard to forget when you had been sleeping in a tent for months. His hand touched the door handle and he waited. He wasn’t sure what to do...what he would see. Slowly, it opened and he walked in. It was covered in old things and knick-knacks. Mushrooms lay in pots towards the back, and lanterns with bioluminescent fungi hung above his head. Zoey had definitely been here. It smelled like her...Cinnamon and dirt and flowery perfume...He moved towards the kitchen and picked up a dish. None of them were broken. They all seemed to be in ok shape. Had they not touched the house?

The bowl was returned to the counter, and he swapped it with a picture of two women. One was muscular, with her hair tied behind her head. The other was Zoey. Smiling and laughing, but she looked so sad as well. That was returned as well when he noticed a very, very old looking photo of him. He was a bit younger than he was now. Maybe 5, 10 years? Faded and torn, it was in the best frame he had seen so far. Before he could investigate any more, a small, quiet voice spoke up behind him.

“R...Rythian.” He turned, and what he saw sent shivers down his spine. Zoey...his best friend...stood before him. But, she was so different. Her face was covered in wrinkles, and her once brown hair now was a shade of deathly gray. But that smile...those eyes.

“Zoey? Oh my god what happened?”

“You...You’ve been gone...did you remember the milk?”

“I...I…”

“That’s alright if you didn’t…” She shuffled forward and pulled him into a hug. He normally didn’t like being touched, but she always gave the best hugs. He forced the tears back into his skull when they parted.

“How...How did you get this way?” She laughed, heartily and wholly, like he remembered.

“Age, my old friend. It’s a burden to us all.” Her withered hand patted his. It was so different than the one he knew...the one he remembered. “You’ve been gone...sixty years it must be…” She moved into the other, equally small room and sat herself in a plaid arm chair. Stuffing poked out of it horrendously.

“Suh...sixty!? I was gone for two weeks! I did all my calculations! I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Rythian...Rythian it’s ok.” She patted the stool beside her and he quickly took a seat. “When two weeks passed and you didn’t return, I was hopeful. When a month passed I was worried, but I didn’t know where you had gone. You had said it was a surprise...a year passed and I grieved…”

“I’m so sorry...I...I brought everyone something...Look! dragon scales. You wanted that special wand.”

“Mmm...I remember...I wanted it because it shined rainbow colors.”

“Yes! And...and this is for Teep.” He held out the silver earrings excitedly. “Look, they had symbols on them...I thought maybe…” He stopped when he saw her face fall. “What...what happened?”

“Oh...oh Rythian...He went looking for you. He didn’t want me going, but he and Ravs went looking…” She broke down into her hands, and Rythian carefully comforted her. “They went into the direction you had gone...and they...they got lost…” She sobbed again, shivering uncontrollably. “We found them, a few days later...we found both of them buried by the sand...Caber Town had no mayor, and everyone left…”

“And Nilesy?”

“Rythian...I’m the only one left.”

“What? What do you mean?” His stomach sunk even farther than it had before.

“Lalna...Sjin tried to kill Lalna again...and they accidently set off a nuke...They didn’t respawn. Hannah took control of the situation. She moved everyone out here. Anyone they could find...The monsters became worse…” Her lip quivered as she recalled it. “We lived here...until it became too bad. They came wave after wave...even Fi...even Fi died…Then...then they stopped. They all stopped one day...but it was too late. Everyone but me was gone.”

“Zoey...Zoey I am so sorry. I should have been here...I didn’t...I’m so sorry.”

“Rythian...I’ve been alone for so long. Please stay.”

“Yes, I’ll stay Zoey. I’ll stay forever.”

Rythian took care of her. For four years his daily life included cleaning the encampment, fortifying defenses, and going into town to try and find any stray vender. Zoey often went out into the garden. It was the only place that she seemed like herself, how she was before he left. They joked, talked, and sometimes just sat quietly. Often, Rythian would help her down to the river to try and catch the Fleetfish jumping out of the water. Even with a fading memory, she always remembered how to snatch one as it jumped. Then they would sit by the fire, eating cooked fish and looking at the stars above them. Zoey would constantly be making up stories about the constellations, to which Rythian would laugh and tell her the “actual” story. It was good while it lasted. 

The clouds that hung over the village were an ash gray that day. To Rythian’s sadness, the last shop had closed its doors. Not even the farmers were open to sell him a carrot or two. Defeated, Rythian walked around the town, asking for food wherever he could. Most people slammed the door in his face, telling him to leave while he could. A strong young man should go find himself a wife. Move to the forest. Anything other than live in an ancient camp with an old maid.

The last door he tried opened up to another old woman. A cat scooted past Rythian into the house as she stared at the mage on her doorstep.

“Strangers. Strangers indeed.”

“Please ma’am. There are no shops left in town. Could you spare some vegetables from your garden?” She looked at him a long time before waving him in with a leathery hand. The inside smelled of wood and metal, and cages hung from the ceiling, empty like ribs on a skeleton.

“You are Rythian, correct?”

“Yes...I live in the old camp outside of town.”

“Yes yes, I know...I am old, Endermage. Very old. So is your friend. Come, sit.” She lowered herself into a straw chair beside a strange circular table, and Rythian cautiously joined her. “I have lived here many years. Seen many faces...Heard many things...but all the time you were here, I never realized.” From a pocket in her cloak, she pulled out a stack of cards. Slowly they began to shuffle themselves. “Never realised you are no stranger.” The cards stopped moving and lowered themselves into a clean stack. With a wave of her hand, three cards flipped onto the table. “Ah yes...The magician...A power of self...and awareness of what is to come…” The second card flipped over, revealing its picture. “The tower...destruction, change young mage.” The final card showed its image. “And Death...You know your future.”

“No!” Something snapped in his psyche, his hands thrashing at the cards. “No! She can’t die! I won’t let her!”

“Too late...I am old Rythian, Nilesy is gone and I am done hiding. I will pass on, and you must go as well.”

“N-no! This is the final world...I just have to keep her alive.”

“Rythian,” she crowed, laughing as she got up shakily from the table, “Do not fear the crossing. You’ve already done it before. Now, let an old witch rest.”

“But-”

“No, Enderborn. It is time for me to sleep. But first, this is for you. I know you cannot age, and you are too afraid to die. This will bring you to the new world.” She handed him a tube. It vibrated slightly in his hands and pulled away. “A compass. Do not open it until you reach the portal, or it will release the magic and you may never find the exit.”

“A portal? To the new world...are you sure?”

“No, but I know that this world will die with or without you. And I would much prefer you respawn in our world…” She settled on her bed and closed her eyes. “Good bye Rythian...We’ll see you with the others.” The cat that had been lounging by the windowsill now cuddled up next to her and instantly fell asleep. Then, the woman closed her eyes for the last time. After a few minutes, Rythian felt her life source ebb away, and the cat disappeared into thin air.

“I...I can’t…” He tucked the compass cannister under his cloak and raided Hannah’s garden. Was it disrespect towards the dead? He didn’t know. On his way out, he told the priest she had passed on, and he grumpily started preparing her for burial. Then, with urgent worry, he ran back to the compound. The air smelled of uncommon rain, and he wondered if the river would overflow…

The encampment was empty, Zoey nowhere to be seen. Rythian began to panic slightly.

“Zoey!? Zoey, are you ok?! ZOEY!” Running into the house, it was completely empty. The mushrooms had stopped glowing, the fungi in the corner shriveled horribly. “No...Zoey? Zoey…” He turned into his room and his entire being went cold. she was there, peaceful and serene, a picture of who he learned was Fiona clutched to her chest. “Oh Zoey...Zoey I didn’t...you were supposed to live forever too…” He clutched her cold hand, trying to tell himself she wasn’t dead, that she wasn’t gone.

The funeral was a day later. Soft rain spattered against the sand for a few minutes before stopping and leaving the few people who had gathered around shivering in the cool wind. Winter was here, and the last two rays of light in the village had died.  _ Here lies Lomadia, Witch and Protector to her final days.  _ Snapdragons lay sprouting wildly from her grave. Then, Rythian moved to the next stone herald of death.  _ Here lies Zoeya, Friend and Hope. _ A violet plant guarded her. She had always had a special relationship with violets...Rythian turned and walked away, never to return to those graves.

____________________________________________________________________________

“Hey! Hey you!” Rythian turned as a small woman ran towards him. She looked like a hitchhiker, like an adventurer. He might have even been scare of her if she was 5’2” with a shrieky voice. “Yeah, you! You’re a respawner aren’t you?” He flinched as the name touched his ears. Yes, they had all been respawners, world-jumpers, adventurers among mortals. Demi-gods. “Old Tim said that you were going somewhere…”

“Yeah, away.”

“You’re going to the next world, aren’t you? Aren’t you.”

“What’s you name anyway?”

“Nanosounds. But people call me Kim.”

“Ok, Kim. Goodbye.”

“Wait! I’m coming with.” He snapped around and glared at her.

“No. You want to be a respawner, don’t you? You want this life. Go home, Kim Nanosounds. Go home before the gods toy with your soul.” But she kept following, asking questions.

“How do you know where it is?”

“Please stop.”

“But I mean, no one knows where it is.”

“Stop it.”

“Where are the others.”

“ _ Shut up _ .” That stopped her insistent inquiries. Rythian sighed and turned around. “Alright, you know what? Fine. You can come with me, if you want...But no one else, ok?” At the next town, Kim had brought a trio of silly looking boys.

“They want to come too.”

“I said no.”

“Please mister!” Said the one with short cropped hair in a walrus hood.

“We’ll be extra good!” Said the one with dark black hair and bright blue eyes.

“We want to be respawners, too!” Said the ginger, his slime green coat wrapped around his waist. Rythian growled and started walking again. “I think that’s a yes boys! Oi! Quim! Lets go!”

“Real original Smith.” That night, Rythian said that they were the only ones going. That was it. No one else...and then Parvis had showed up.

“No! Nononono. I’m putting my foot down. No.”

“Come on, Rythian! He doesn’t got a family.” Smith chewed the piece of straw lazily from his pad. The boy being judged stayed quiet. When the four had found him, he was stealing bread in a village, the biggest smirk on his face. Now he had a sore back and a solemn composure. 

“If we leave him here, the villagers will find him.” Kim’s interjection with an angry snort from the mage. “Flay him alive if they do.”

“And all the better! I said no one else, and I mean it. You guys don’t understand what this means!?”

“Please? Come on Rythian, he won’t be any trouble…”

“You know what?! Fine, FINE,” He hissed, “Go ahead and throw your lives away. See if I care!” The young adults cheered and high-fived as Rythian grumpily wrapped himself in his cloak.

For two months, they hiked across deserts and mountains, forest and rivers, only to find a very old looking rock structure. When Rythian stopped their party, Trott had already fallen over, ready to sleep.

“This...haaaaaagh...is it? A hoo-doo? Are you serious?”

“Yes,  _ Smith. _ ” Rythian slowly began tracing his fingers along the runes on the sides. “Sorry it isn’t exactly a monument.”

“I was kind of expecting more than a rock.” He stood straight, running the crick out of his back with a loud snap. 

“Shut up, Smith...Does it work Rythian?”

“Hmm...these things are finicky. It takes a while to set up connections between worlds.” With two fingers, he slowly pushed a knot on the rock. It slowly pushed in, and a faintly ingrained swirl glowed a light green. “And now we wait.”

“Well, how long is it supposed to take?” Ross seated himself on a flatter rock behind the group.

A long time, actually. Night had fallen and the young adults had gotten a fire going to scare of wolves. Rythian had stayed at his spot, watching the gate.

“What’s with ol’ mugwump over there?” Trott was whittling away at a dead root he had tripped over while searching for firewood. Parvis could only shrug.

“I just know respawners can either be really cool or talk about some philosophical shit,” Smith muttered, watching as smoke rose into the starry sky.

“Shut up.” Kim tossed another log on. “He’s the last one. All the rest of them died.”

“Died?! But I thought respawners were immortal?”

“No, idiot. They use the energy of the world to return from the dead. When the world stops bringing them back, they move onto the next one.”

“Not always…” The group jumped in their skins as Rythian sat down next to them. “It’s about time I told you a thing or two about respawners. One, don’t go wasting life source. If you die, it better be because of a good reason. Two, you might not be the same when you go through the portal. No one remembers the world they come from, only who they are. Your physical appearance may change too. Three, not everyone respawns in the new world.” They were silent, watching with curious and slightly fearful light in their eyes. Rythian sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “Not everyone goes to the next world...sometimes, when you die...you  _ die _ . You have to know this before going through.”

“We’re still doing it,” Parvis said, a smirk on his face. “We’ve got nothing here. Kim was a farm-hand. The Hat boys were going to be apprenticed, and I probably would have been hanged for stealing. It’s not like we’re exactly leaving  _ kingdoms _ you know.”

“Well, if you’re so sure, then let’s go.” Their faces paled slightly as Rythian stood and a faint green film fell between them and the other side of the rock portal. “Anyone want to go first?” For a few seconds, no one answered. Then Kim, smile bearing widely on her face, jumped up and ran towards the portal.

“See you on the other side, losers!” And then she vanished, like smoke in the wind. The three Hat boys looked at each other and grinned maniacally. 

“Come on, you twat!”

“I’m coming, Smith! Yell at Ross if you need to.”

“Don’t lug me into your romance!” Smith charged forwards, with Trott straight behind, and Ross jumping in backwards. Only Parv and Rythian remained.

“You don’t have to.”

“Yeah, I do.” Parvis smirked again and walked forward, into the portal. Rythian sighed, and with a deep breath, joined them.

____________________________________________________________________________

_ Come on, get up. Yes you! What do you think you’re doing here? You’re on SipsCo land. Well, while you’re here, at least we can put you to work. What’s your name, anyway? Kim...whatever. Come on, we got work to do. _

_ Oh, so you’re Kim. I heard about what happened with Sjin...want to be my apprentice? I could use an extra set of hands around here anyway. Ok first we’re going to make you a quarry. _

____________________________________________________________________________

_ Where are we? _

_ How should I know. _

_ Hmm. Who’s that? _

_ Oh, hi. I’m Direwolf. I guess I can teach you a few of the basics before you go off and have an adventure. _

____________________________________________________________________________

_ Hmmph. Doesn't know a lick about anything. Spends all his time playing something called DOTA. I don’t know, must be a foreign thing. I’m Xephos, and I would probably use you as an apprentice, but you can’t even craft a sword! Here, take this map and follow it until you meet a guy named Will Strife. He knows a lot about Minecraft. You learn how to do actual work, and I’ll let you go back and play DOTA.  _

____________________________________________________________________________

“Sir, we have a complaint from corporate.”

“Oh, what is it now.”

“Gamechap and Bertie. They’re not taking the simulation very well and are becoming...antagonistic.”

“Well shit,” Turps sighed, sipping his coffee. The large monitors in front of him could tell him anything he wanted about the world he had put the Yogscast in now. Everything except what could make them less likely to reject the program. “Well, ice ‘em. I’m not having another PR scandal on my hands. Oh, and Katie, get me another coffee.”

“That much caffine isn’t good for you, sir.”

“Tell that to the baby. Tom!”

“Yes?”

“Yes?”

“Yes?”

“Yes?”

“Oh uhm, Angor.” The other Toms sighed as the sleepy-eyed man walked up to Turps. “We’re icing Chap and Bertie. Has everyone else crossed?”

“Not yet, sir. We put the new recruits in the old world and had them follow Rythian. Just to ease them into it.”

“Good, good. Why is Rythian always the last one?”

“I assume he’s afraid to be iced.”

“Makes sense. Maybe we should just have Duncan nuke the world again.”

“SIR! We have a virus level 5 on World 3.” A young man with wavy brown hair swiveled to meet the director.

“What is it now, mutant zombie?”

“No… I think it’s the Hecotr Virus” Turps nearly spit out his coffee as he rushed over to the screen. Indeed, it was a Hecotr bug in the system.

“Ok, everyone keep calm.”

“Sir, there are two of them.”

“Holy shit! Ok no more keeping calm. Uhhhmmm. Ok, I have a plan. Link the current world to that one.”

“Sir, its a Hecotr virus. It can kill them permanently.” Angor had shuffled back to Turps, who was watching the man with blonde hair begin to construct a home.

“We already tried automatic deletion. Somehow he’s taken over the system, and we don’t have any other options. Let’s see how the current world’s going.” The screen switched, and he peered in at the list of people on the server. “That girl. Nanosounds. She’s knew, ain’t she?”

“Yes. We’ve apprenticed her with Sjin.”

“Put her with Duncan.”

“I don’t think…”

“Just do it, Harry. KATIE. WHERE’S MY COFFEE?”


End file.
